Club Shanghai Shenhua of Chinese Super League has requested that the Manchester United hitman who is on loan, Odion Ighalo return this week to China.
Ighalo’s loan to Manchester United ends this week and the club not willing to extend the contract.
Therefore the striker is set to move to China ahead of the start of Chinese Super League season.
Ighalo has been a hit at Old Trafford since signing a loan deal on the final day of the January transfer window, scoring four times for his boyhood club.
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But his loan spell looks set to end after eight appearances, with his initial deal only penned until May 31. United’s season will now extend well beyond that as a result of the coronavirus pandemic that has caused a suspension to the campaign, with United not playing since their 5-0 demolition of LASK Linz on March 12.
United still have nine Premier League games to play and remain in the Europa League and the FA Cup. They are keen to keep Ighalo until the end of this season and have held discussions with Shanghai Shenhua about extending the loan deal.
However, the Chinese authorities are now hopeful of beginning the Chinese Super League season in late June or early July, and as a result, his club is keen to have the 30-year-old striker back in the fold.
The initial loan came at a time when the CSL season was yet to begin and China was the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the country is now reporting far fewer cases and there is confidence the 2020 campaign could get underway within the next six weeks.
